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While We're Gone: Amazonian Grasslands
5 Million years in the future...and the world has become enthralled in yet another Ice Age. But not everywhere has in fact become a glorified ice pop; the Amazon in particular has become a most...unique place compared to its previous conditions. You see, within 5 million years time, Antarctica's gone berserk with how much of its ice caps will be extending. It got to a point that it hit as far north as Patagonia, and in turn, dried out the lush rainforest that was once there. In truth, only the Amazon river holds any major forests at all; the rest has been replaced with one of the world's foremost treasures: grasslands. And with no large herbivores (at least, no majorly large herbivores) to flatten the grass or eat it to any major degree, its grown taller than a rocker's mohawk! And sadly, with this new grassland comes the extinction of many of the noted wildlife of the region. The reason why should be more than a little obvious; many of the species that thrive there such as the parrots, sloths and the majority of the monkey population are simply too good at being these specialized creatures. And, well, when their specific loves are gone, so are they. However, this does not apply to everyone. Thanks to some of said special talents, some of the more opportunistic creatures were able to make it through and become the main players on these Amazon prairies. Perhaps one of the most notable in this roster is perhaps the most normal-looking of the bunch, though that's not saying much. One of the last primates in the world, this strange monkey has a tail that stands erect, blue cheeks, and a blue tucchus. I'm of course talking about the grassland walkers simply known as...the Babookari. Descended from the white-fronted capuchin (and by proxy, the Capukari), these ingenuitive primates live in troops of roughly 30 or so, and separate into smaller hunting parties when foraging for food. What do they eat? Well, pretty much anything, really; fruit, carrion, insects, fish, they're about as open-minded about food as their ancestors were today. In fact, they've taken things a step further in two different ways. The first, since we're on the subject of food, is their ways of catching fish. They teach their young how to weave reed baskets, and toss them into the many rivers that wind across the savanna. These in turn became little larders for an excellent source of protein otherwise not found in the normal Babookari diet. The second is perhaps their saving grace from being completely wiped out by predators; they've developed a color-coded system based on the bright patches of blue on their bottoms, chest and face as a way to communicate with other Babookaris across great distances. Which is good, considering they're often harassed by the dominant predators of these vast grasslands: Carakillers! Standing as tall enough to stare down a man, these predatory birds are perhaps the most evilly cunning among those thus far seen in this series. Signaling to each other with brightly-colored crests that spread out like a peacock, these long-legged birds act like a pack of wolves, with some sneaking behind a troop of Babookaris as part of an ambush, while the rest drive them towards the waiting ambushers. Most of the troop will escape, but one or two will be caught, and promptly pecked/kicked to death by that wicket beak, formidably clawed legs, or worse still, the sickle-like claw on the arms of these woodchippers of monkeys! In a feat of poetic irony, these revived Terror Birds all started out with one ancestor: a predatory bird called the seriema.Now, we here at While We Were Gone know what you're thinking: "But, I thought the caracara was their ancestor." And you'd be correct, at least in terms of the official canon. But the thing is that they're still a bit too flight-prone to be considered a contender for the role of giant killer bird. Seriemas, for those who don't know, are actually direct descendants of the infamous Terror Birds such as Phorusrhacos. And since it was no stranger to the grasslands, it should come as no surprise that they had some idea of how to survive when the rainforests began to recede. However, as sure as night follows day, scavenger follows predator. This time, it's two dogs. The first is a descendant of the hoary fox known as the Grass Dog. As cunning as it is relatively tiny, it may not be as fast as its competition, such as the Carakiller, but it can creep along behind them to feast on what they leave behind. The reason the fox is here as well is because a fox is one of nature's great survivors. The original run loved to glorify the rodent; which while true, seemed more like they were too quick to put these guys on a pedestal. The fox can live just about anywhere, even our own cities, and are smart enough to survive where other creatures can't. They will eat almost anything; Babookari babies, Carakiller eggs, Grassprowler cubs, even Grass Wolf pups! The only creature they can't eat due to being predator-proof is the Rattleback. And even then, many creatures try already, and usually fail. Grass Dogs pair for life, having up to three pups per litter, and teaching them how to avoid getting caught by angry Carakillers. The second is a descendant of the maned wolf called, appropriately enough, the Grass Wolf. While not a scavenger like the Grass Dog, Grass Wolves are essentially the canine equivalent of the cheetah/serval hybrid, at least in terms of looks. These long-legged, long-necked canines were able to properly regroup without human interference getting in the way. And being naturally adept to a life among tall grass, its legs are now a longer, and so has its body and neck. Sprinting at about 70 miles an hour, they often compete with Carakillers over food and territory. Albeit, this is a bit more one-sided, considering that Carakillers can usually gang up on even the most persistent Grass Wolf. But these quick beasts don't give up without a fight, acting almost like an out-boxer; just avoided the kicks and jabbing beaks of the Carakillers and taking advantage of their misses. And with a biting force of 1700 lbs psi, their bites can be fatal if they go for the throat! On the subject of their bite, they will eat just about any meats it can find, and will often crush bones to get at the marrow. They're normally solitary, but females can have up to three pups per litter which she teaches to hunt and avoid the killing blow of the Carakillers. On a final note, they're one of the few creatures that can go claw-to-claw with a Bushwhacker, but only in rare cases. But not every bird on these plains is a savage killer; at least, not to the Babookaris. No, there is one other bird that thrives in these grassy knolls; one that acts like a peacock, but in truth, is more closely related to grouses and pheasants. Enter the Amazonian Grasspecker; one of two species of Grasspeckers in this Ice Age world, but we shall get to the other one another time. These speedy little critters, much like the Carakillers, have lost the ability to fly. To compensate, they can run as fast as 20 miles an hour, like an Amazonian ostrich, if you will. Appropriate, considering they eat like them, too. Often, they'll pick on insects, grass seeds, and swallow stones to help digest tougher plant material. As I said earlier, this particular species of Grasspecker has evolved to impress females with flashy, colorful displays as part of the mating dance. Admittedly, this does make them targets for predators, but they do have ways to defend themselves; unlike Babookaris, whom mainly run in the opposite direction, hoping to lose them in the grass. While they can do that too, to great effect due to their speed, these guys can also jump high and kick swiftly and strongly with sharpened toenails to injure an attacking enemy. It's also used in territorial battles, as space to raise a chick without getting your dedication eaten by scavengers and other predators is a lot harder to find than you might think. Especially when one of your main competitors is not only a bird, but one that can hunt you in packs! But it's more than just monkeys and birds that call this land home, we also have some rather unusual insectivores as well. Enter the Bushwhacker; descendant of the giant anteater, and ardent consumer of termites. Standing roughly 5 feet high at full height, this unusual insectivore can find a termite mound within 5 miles. With the ant population mostly gone (at least, regarding the forest-dwelling ants of the Amazon), and with the rise in grasslands, the termite population skyrocketed, causing a brand new crop for insectivores to munch on to emerge. Incidentally, this too attracts Babookaris, though not quite as specialized as the Bushwhacker. Now, I know what you're thinking, "But aren't anteaters mainly forest dwellers? How the heck did they become grassland lovers?!" Well, while yes, those like the tamandua and silky anteaters are indeed forest dwellers, and wouldn't likely survive the transition, the giant anteater is more of a grassland wanderer anyway. And since grasslands became more and more vast with the coming Ice Age, this transition was hardly a catastrophe for the giant anteater. However, because the termites gained more ground, they also upped their game with the newfound predators that it created. They've gotten stronger, and with more potent defenses against insectivores than ever before. Not quite to 200 Million years from now strong, but that's a long way off. To combat this, the Bushwhacker has not only extra strong claws that can slash through even the toughest termite mound, but also a coat that's almost completely immune to the now highly acidic spray the soldiers use to attack intruders. Said coat is coated in a combination of resistant mucus and a quick-hardening residue that keeps the coat from being penetrated easily. And through these defenses and offenses, they can survive even the wrath of a hungry Carakiller, if only long enough to escape. On the more vegetarian side of the scale, Babookaris are just one of several strange creatures that roam the grass in search of food; alongside them are these strange rabbit relative known as the Lagolama. They've evolved into a form similarly to the llama or vicuna; while both are not extinct, they don't live in the Amazon rainforest area, and therefore, primarily live closer to where the ice caps have reached. But getting back the Lagolama, these long-necked lagomorphs seem to have taken a similar role to that of the Macrauchenia in days past. They primarily roam the grasslands, usually near the treeline, stripping the Amazonian trees of leaves, and chewing up the long grass with their large, rodent-like teeth. During the mating season, these strange creatures take up a sport used by the giraffes in Africa: necking each other until one male backs off. This strange sport basically involved them battering each other with their necks, which we here do not recommend trying at home, you will hurt your head and/or spinal cord! In any event, despite their size, they're open targets for several predators. Especially Carakillers, Grassprowlers, Grass Wolves, and perhaps the fiercest flying predator on these Amazon prairies. Swooping over the grasslands is one of the few flying birds out on the grasslands; a dreaded descendant of the king vulture, and the top aerial predator! The Emperor Talonbird was able to grow large due to little competition in the skies, and has regained the hunter's instincts used by the Argentavis in days long since past. They nest in trees near the Amazon river, flying about 50-70 miles every day to find food, usually large animals such as the Lagolama. With a keen eye, and the ability to scare off even Bushwhackers with their relative size increase, they're truly the flying terrors! Despite this, it's not just the Carakillers, Grass Wolves and Talonbirds the community here have to fear of; there's two other predators that prowl the tall grass in search of prey... Well, okay one does, the other lurks beneath the murky waters of the rivers, but we shall get to that soon enough. In the meantime, meet the Grassprowler! One of the last New World cats, this finality of a dying breed is smaller than its ancestor, but not by much. It prowls the grasslands almost unseen by anything, preying upon almost anything, including Babookaris and Grasspeckers. The only thing it fears in terms of land predators is the Carakiller, and that's because they've become a dominate force of the grasslands, and can kill one rather easily. Ironic, actually, considering it's the terror birds that died off and the cats became dominant, but I'm getting sidetracked again. These felines often remain in tall grass near the watering holes, eating fish, frogs, bird eggs, often being territorial. But it's not just the Grassprowler that patrols the watering holes; there's powerful predators below the waves as well; enter two strong competitors, both able to drag down and kill creature unlucky enough to be there when they're hungry: the Rivermonger and the Strangleholder! One is a massive descendant of the black caiman, able to drag almost any creature into the murky depths of the Amazon river with is dark, jagged-toothed jaws. The other, a powerful relative of the anaconda that can put the chokehold on just about anything, including young Rivermongers. You can probably guess which is which. This reason is why the Grassprowlers rarely if ever swim across the river, fearing death by these mighty beasts of the river. Now that we've got the really scary beasts out of the way, let's wrap this up with one final herbivore, a big amphibian, and two unique opportunists. Despite how horrible I made the rivers sound, there is one that wades through these waters undeterred: a descendant of the capybara called Mudtrudger. These big rodents are about the size of a small cow, and are one of the resident semi-aquatic residents of the rivers. That's not to say they're completely fearless of the predators of the water, but when big enough, they have little to worry about from them. Traveling in pods with about 40 members per pod, they search for water plants as they wade through the muddy shoreline of the riverbanks. But there's more than just bizarre foragers and hunters on these Amazonian savannas; there's also quite the scavengers of this vast wilderness. One of the more resourceful examples is a long-snouted critter called the Ringtail Eggsniffer, so-called because of its ability to smell food from miles away, and is quite partial to eggs, regardless of species. Descended from the equally resourceful coatimundi, they patrol the grasslands and treeline for food, as despite the name, they're highly omnivorous. Despite a formerly arboreal life, the coatimundi was able to thrive here due to its ability to thrive among people. While yes, the treeline is their favorite habitat, it's similar a situation to the uakari; likes the trees, but can survive on the ground if need-be. Their coats can blend with both the grassy plains and the minimal treeline undergrowth, allowing them to evade predators easily to compensate for the lack of major defenses. Each group of Eggsniffers has their own territory, and will occasionally fight another troop to protect it. Alongside these resourceful Eggsniffers and Bushwhackers is an armored relative of the Giant Armadillo that adapted pretty well to this new savannah habitat. Enter the Giant Rockadillo; so-called for resembling a large stone, they've gained a size and length similar to one of their distant cousins, the Doedicurus. And much like the Doedicurus, they've developed a spiky tail, albeit much thinner and more whip-like than its ancestors' spiked tail. Unlike their more direct ancestors, though, these big xenarthrans are actually vegetarians. That said, if we're talking the most unusual scavengers, though, nothing tops the Amazonian Rattleback! Oh, how to describe this little beastie...imagine a rat with the look of a walking pinecone, and the face of a lizard, and you'd get this subspecies of Rattleback! Called this for its ability to shake its armored plating to scare away territorial invaders, it mainly wanders the grassy paths in search of anything edible; be it fruit, insects, and especially eggs. Carakiller eggs, to be more precise. Now, Carakillers have a them regarding eggs that's relatively similar to ostriches in Africa: The eggs are in a circle, and one of them has to stand guard/keep them warm. Like with African wild dogs, the pack goes out for food, one stays behind, and gets a share of the food after the pack's returned. With this system in mind, should a Rattleback be brave enough or foolish enough to invade...it can surprisingly hold its own. Yeah, their plating is strong enough to withstand most attacks,and with spikes that lock the plates in place, it's almost impossible for anything to dislodge it! And that includes ticked-off Carakillers! Now, there's only one downside to all this diversity; when storms come, you don't just get rain. Often...you get FIRE!!! But it's not necessarily a bad thing, more an inconvenience. This is because, with the old grass burnt to a crisp, new grass can grow in its place, and small animals fleeing the flames become a quick meal for those like the Grasspeckers, Carakillers and Grassprowlers. To summarize, in 5 Million Years time; the world has seen change beyond recognition, and equally odd creatures. From bizarre, armored, pinecone-like rodents, to brightly colored monkeys, to bloodthirsty birds and crocodiles, all this became possible on a plain where the Amazon rainforest once stood. And it is here where the great game of life plays out, on these Amazonian Prairies!